The Beguiling is proud to present a special event, celebrating the release of Ray Fawkes‘ new graphic novel THE PEOPLE INSIDE! In much the same vein as Fawkes‘ amazing ONE SOUL, THE PEOPLE INSIDE tells the story of 24 different people in a way that only the medium of comics can! Compelling, intertwining narratives and formalist experimentation meld to create a graphic novel that absolutely shouldn’t be missed.

Joining author Ray Fawkes will be acclaimed writer and graphic novelist Jeff Lemire (Trillium, Essex County), who will interview his friend and colleague Fawkes on this new graphic novel.

Presented by The Beguiling, with thanks to The Friends of The Merril Collection and Oni Press.

Comics creator Jeff Lemire appears at Comics and More on SATURDAY, APRIL 26 from noon till 3:00 pm! He will be on hand to sign copies of the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, featuring a new Canadian version of the Justice League and the first appearance of the brand-new, teenage, Cree superhero EQUINOX!

Lemire says on his blog, “This will be my only Toronto-area signing for the comic. I will be signing and giving away 5 limited edition blank variant covers with sketches of Justice League characters by me! Copies of all of other books will be for sale, but stock is limited. I will also have original art form Trillium, Animal Man and Sweet Tooth available.”

Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave (at St. George, one block south of Bloor St.)
$5 admission or free with book purchase
Tickets and books on sale Monday, June 25th at The Beguiling

The Beguiling is proud to announce the official launch of The Underwater Welder, the new original graphic novel from Jeff Lemire. Lemire is the award-winning author of The Essex County Trilogy, picked as a Canada Reads finalist, the author of the graphic novels Sweet Tooth (series), Lost Dogs, and The Nobody, and a prolific contributor to DC Comics’ superhero line, including the hit series Animal Man and Justice League Dark.

The Underwater Welder is Lemire’s eagerly anticipated thematic ‘follow-up’ to Essex County; its seemingly benign rural slice-of-life tale set off the coast of Nova Scotia giving way to far more mysterious and unfathomable experiences. Lemire’s work has been praised with starred reviews by Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and the accolades are already pouring in for The Underwater Welder:

“The most spectacular episode of The Twilight Zone that was never produced. I really, really care about the people in this story… And I can pretty much guarantee you will too.”
—from the introduction by Damon Lindelof (LOST, Star Trek, Prometheus)

“A moving, brilliant, and fiercely original work about loss, longing, and love. Full of piercing moments that will stay with you for long after you’ve finished reading, The Underwater Welder is a testament to the basic truth that down in the depths or up on land, there’s nothing more haunting and wondrous than the human heart. A masterpiece of visual storytelling.”
— Scott Snyder (Batman, Swamp Thing, American Vampire)

The Underwater Welder Book Launch and Discussion will take place on Saturday, July 25th at Innis College Town Hall, and will feature a presentation by Lemire from the new work, an on-stage interview with Q&A, and a signing. Admission to this event is $5 for two persons, however, anyone purchasing The Underwater Welder in-store at The Beguiling will receive a free ticket good for two admissions and guaranteed seating. Tickets and The Underwater Welder advance copies go on sale Monday, June 25th at 11am.

ABOUT “THE UNDERWATER WELDER”

As an underwater welder on an oilrig off the coast of Nova Scotia, Jack Joseph is used to the immense pressures of deep-sea work. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the pressures of impending fatherhood. As Jack dives deeper and deeper, he seems to pull further and further away from his young wife and their unborn son. Then one night, deep in the icy solitude of the ocean floor, something unexplainable happens. Jack has a mysterious and supernatural encounter that will change the course of his life forever.
Equal parts blue-collar character study and mind-bending mystery, The Underwater Welder is a graphic novel about fathers and sons, birth and death, memory and reality, and the treasures we all bury deep below the surface.

The Underwater Welder, by Jeff Lemire. 224 pages, softcover, $19.95. Published by Top Shelf Productions

ABOUT JEFF LEMIRE

JEFF LEMIRE is one of the most acclaimed North American graphic novelists of recent years. He first entered the comics field with the self-published anthology series Ashtray (2003), followed by the Xeric-Award-winning graphic novel Lost Dogs (2005).

His Essex County trilogy of graphic novels (2007-2008, complete edition 2009) have received tremendous acclaim, including nominations for the Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards. In 2008 Jeff won both the Joe Shuster Award and the Doug Wright Award, recognizing the best in Canadian cartooning, as well as the American Library Association’s prestigious Alex Award, which recognizes books for adults that appeal to teenage readers. Essex County was named one of five official 2011 selection of the CBC’s Canada Reads program, recognizing the “Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade,” and landed first place in the “People’s Choice” poll with more votes than the other four books combined.

Jeff’s other works include the graphic novel The Nobody and the acclaimed ongoing series Sweet Tooth for Vertigo, as well as writing DC superhero series such as Superboy, Frankenstein, Animal Man, and Justice League Dark. He returns to Top Shelf this summer for The Underwater Welder.